911 briefs -- Published Nov. 15, 2013

Friday

Nov 15, 2013 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office said prosecutors will not file charges against two men who allegedly kidnapped a woman and forced her to undergo an exorcism, authorities said.

The Record

STOCKTON - The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office said prosecutors will not file charges against two men who allegedly kidnapped a woman and forced her to undergo an exorcism, authorities said.

According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, a woman was kidnapped Saturday from north Stockton. She was then taken to a Bay Area church, because her estranged husband and son believed she was possessed by demons, deputies said.

Later that day, authorities arrested Jose Magana-Farias, 42, and Victor Farias, 20, on suspicion of kidnapping, false imprisonment by violence and conspiracy to commit a crime. The bizarre case attracted widespread attention across the country.

On Thursday, Deputy District Attorney Robert Himelblau said the men would not be charged, but he declined to say why.

"We don't usually discuss why we file charges or decline to file charges, and we're not going to do it now just because it seemed to capture the imagination of the press," Himelblau said.

STOCKTON - Five people were arrested Wednesday when authorities discovered a loaded handgun during a traffic stop in north Stockton, police said.

Officers saw a passenger with a handgun when they stopped a vehicle about 7:35 p.m. near West Lane and East Swain Road, police said. The driver became combative while officers were securing the vehicle's occupants, and a police dog was deployed to apprehend him, police said.